CHILDREN in Ayrshire and Arran are waiting an average of 20 weeks to have their teeth extracted, according to recent data.

It was also revealed that the average wait time for young patients in NHS Ayrshire and Arran has increased from five weeks in 2019/20 to 20 weeks in 2023/24.

These numbers were obtained by Scottish Labour as part of a freedom of information request.

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has criticised the government for failing to tackle the "growing dental crisis".

He said: "Rotten teeth can cause excruciating pain but these figures show some children in our region are forced to wait for months before getting the surgery they need.

"Being in pain every time you eat a meal or try to talk is agony for a few days, let alone months or years, but that is the reality for many."

“I am furious the Scottish Government have repeatedly failed to wake up to the growing dental crisis.   

"The double whammy of the Brexit, which meant there are almost no EU dentists coming to the UK anymore, and more significantly, the Scottish Government’s failure to properly fund dentists means practices across the country have axed adult NHS services, forcing people to go private.

"When people need specialist dental care they are having to wait longer and longer."

“The Scottish Government and previous UK Government were warned over and over that this would happen but they completely ignored those warnings.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Any long wait for surgery is highly regrettable.

"However it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of NHS dental care is delivered in a primary care setting.

"We are supporting NHS Boards to drive improvements in waiting times and are targeting resources to ensure people waiting the longest are treated as soon as possible.

"The Public Health Minister has taken a leading role in bringing together the four UK nations on the actions required to increase our dental workforce capacity, through the review of and improvement to international pipelines."